LP: I worked as a videographer for the Voices From Chornobyl show in 2009 and found it to be a moving and enlightening experience. Nuclear energy wasn’t something I thought I was interested in; like most people, I assumed that the Chernobyl disaster happened long enough ago that it was no longer affecting the world. When my partner Zach and I started working with the Paul G. Gleason Theater, it occurred to me that VFC would be looking for venues soon and our theater would be perfect.

Why were you interested in VFC being presented there?

LP: I wanted to do whatever I could to increase VFC’s success and visibility for the 25th anniversary of Chernobyl. I couldn’t provide much in the way of financial support, but being in charge of booking for PGGT meant that we could offer a venue for performance.

Your space holds an incredible variety of programming. How would you describe the potential?

LP: It’s a blackbox space, so it is very flexible in its capacities. The stage has a balcony, which expands the possibilities of performance into two levels, and the stage can be extended with a catwalk into the audience. Along with plays, we’ve had musical performances, art exhibits, film screenings, standup shows, and burlesque and vaudeville, as well as a monthly event called Art Bazaar, which is a kind of eclectic scramble of all of the above.

What’s unique about being in the midst of Hollywood Boulevard?

LP: We have a visible marquee on Hollywood that helps attract foot traffic… and, as anyone knows who has spent time there, the people-watching on Hollywood Blvd never fails to entertain🙂

Lysandra Petersson is a writer and filmmaker who has been living in Los Angeles since 2007. In producing Art Bazaar and co-founding the Los Angeles Center for Creative Arts, her goals are to connect local artists, foster creativity, and provide platforms for performance, as well as developing arts-based education programs independently and in tandem with local schools.